"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the
animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel
nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest
lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
Samuel Adams, (1722-1803)

Monday, September 03, 2012

Rep. Eric Cantor: Labor Day celebrates business owners

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) on Monday mistakenly
described Labor Day as a celebration of entrepreneurs and business
owners, rather than workers. “Today, we celebrate those who have taken a risk, worked hard, built a
business and earned their own success,” the conservative congressman
said in a statement. “I am committed to keeping taxes low and reducing
red tape to make it easier for Virginia’s small business owners to start
hiring again, create more jobs and ensure a thriving economy for the
future so more people can achieve the American dream.”However, Labor Day actually celebrates the victories of trade and
labor organizations in the United States, who fought for 8-hour work
days and other standards that most Americans take for granted.The first Labor Day was organized by the Central Labor Union of New York City in 1882, according to the Department of Labor. Other labor organizations across the country quickly adopted the celebration. In 1894, Congress made the celebration a federal holiday.“The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of
living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has
brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of
economic and political democracy,” the Department of Labor explains. “It
is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to
the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership
— the American worker.”